Kroppkakor (Swedish Potato Dumplings with Smoked Pork)

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water for 25 to 30 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain and cool completely, about 1 hour. Peel, then press through a ricer or mash until smooth.
2. Fry the bacon in a dry skillet over medium heat for 6 minutes, until the fat renders and the cubes are crisp at the edges. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the allspice and pepper and let the filling cool.
3. Mix the potato with the egg, flour and salt. Knead briefly into a soft dough that no longer sticks to your hands. Do not overwork it, or the dumplings turn gluey.
4. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. With floured hands, flatten one piece in your palm, put a spoonful of filling in the center, pull the edges up around it and roll into a smooth ball with no cracks.
5. Bring a wide pot of salted water to a bare simmer. Cook one dumpling first as a test, and work a spoonful of flour into the dough if it falls apart.
6. Lower the rest in batches and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes. They rise after about 10 minutes but need the full time to cook through. Do not let the water boil hard.
7. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly. Serve hot with melted butter and lingonberry jam.

Tips

• Leftover kroppkakor are good sliced and fried in butter the next day until golden on both sides.
• Use floury potatoes, because waxy ones make a sticky dough that needs too much flour. If you cannot find smoked bacon, diced ham fried with a spoonful of oil works.